Improvement in wheel-brakes



N UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

BENJAMIN B. HOTHKISS, 0F NEW YORK, N.Y.`

` IMPRQVEMENT |N WHEEL-BlfzAKEs.V

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 186,565, dated January 23,1877; application filed September 29, M5576. Y

To all whom it may concern: l Be it known that I, BENJAMIN B. HOTCH-V KISS, of New York city, in the State of New York, temporarily residing in Paris, France, have invented certain new and useful Im` provements relating to `Wheel Brakes, of which the following is a specification:

The invention i s` more especially applicable to artillery, in which it is desired to hold the wheels and prevent their revolving during the recoil of the piece,and to liberate them for the advance movement.

In working guns it is desirable' to reduce the time of replacing the piece in battery after eachdischarge. For this and other purposes it is desirable to reduce the extent of the recoil by retarding or` arresting the revolution of the wheelsduring the recoil, and allowing" them to revolve freely during the replacing` movements. y

I have invented abrake which, in addition to other advantages, adds but little to the mechanism,and does notI interfere with the removal and exchange of wheels t whenever necessary from accident or other cause.

The following is a description of what I consider the best means of carrying out the invention.

The accompanying drawings form a part of this specification.

Figure l is a vertical sectionv through an artillery-wheel with my brake. Fig. 2 is a side` elevation, representing the application thereof to carriages.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in both the figures.

Referring to i Fig. 1, A is the main body of the axle. Al is a'collar; A2, a screw-thread; A3, the wheel-bearing; and A4, theprojectiug end, receiving a washer, B, and linchpin G. The wheel D, constructed in any suitable manner, turns ou the part A3 ofthe axle, and presents a conical hu b, D', towards the collar A1 E is a stout collar or brake-ring, having a coni cal cavity adaptedto 'match on the wheel-cone 1)', and a female screw-thread adapted to match on the screw-thread A2. A lever, G, is forged with or' otherwise firmly connected to the brake-collar E.

As `the wheel turns it tends with more or less force to turn the brake-collar in the same direction. In one way of, turningthe screwthreads A2 move the brake-collar away from the wheel, and soon leave it at liberty. The other way of turning tightens the brake-collar upon the wheel, land tends to soon bind'` it fast, after which the wheelcan no longer turn in that direction, and must stand lixed until some sufficient force is applied in the opposite direction.

With artillery, a'right-hand Vscrew-thread and correspondingly-threaded collar is applied on one side of the gun, and aleft-hand screwthread and correspondingly threaded collar is applied on the other side. The ex'- ample represented is on the left side of the gun, where a left-handed thread, A2, is required.` The fact that one is right-handed and the other Vis, left-handed causes both to be tightened by a similar motion of the piece, and both to be loosened by a motion in the opposite direction.

My brakescan be thrown out of use,`when desired, by simply turning the leviersG, and consequently the brake-rings E, sufficiently back away from the hub D', so. that the latter shall exert no lconsiderable influence on it to turn it during the recoilof the gun.. Y

When it is desired `to put my invention in use the gun is first. brought in battery, and while` one man is laying lthe gun,another or others turn the levers G on the respective sides of the piece, and Vbring the brake-ring E into more or less tight contact with the hub D On the discharge of the piece the wheel in commencing to turn exerts its friction on the brake-ring E, and in the endeavor to turn it therewith tightens it further. This automatic tightening insures that the wheel shall not turn far before it becomes fixed, and during the remainder of the recoil movement the -wheels drag forcibly on the ground, and soon bring thegun to rest.

In returning the gun to position, a sufficient force being applied, the wheels will turn of themselves in the right direction, and, by so turning, will turn the screw-rings E and soon set the wheels entirely at liberty. The labor may be reduced by turning the brake-ring E to a proper extent in the loosening direction,

by means of the lever Gr, before for simultaneou-sly with the application `of the necessary force to move the gun forward.

It will be seen that my brake-ring may lbe put on and taken oft, either automatically by the motion of the wheel itself, or by hand, by

the motion of the lever G, or by a combination of both modes of working.

Referring to Fig. 2, all the parts immediately adjacent to the brake may be the same as before. But instead of applying the hand directly to the lever G, a rod, H, ispivoted thereto and connects it to a hand-lever, I.

turning on a fixed center, A21, and adapted, by an ordinary locking-catch, (not represented.) to be set in various positions. By changing the position of the lever I, the brake may be held on or off or in an intermediate position.

The cone D and the corresponding hollow interior of the adjacent portion of the brakering E may be made with wide variations in the degree of inclination. I esteem it essen' tal, however, to success in working automatically that the inclination be very gradual, so

`that the friction between the wheel-huband the check-ring shall be much greater than that betwcenthe check-ring and the screwthreads. But when the brake-is to be worked largely or entirely by hand, and especially its position is to he controlled by a lever, I, so-

that it cannot move automatically, it may be expedient to greatly change Athe inclination of the cone.

The device may be worked with some success by simply matching plane surfaces together, without any attempt at inserting one within the other.

The lever Gr on one side of the gun or carriage may be connected, by a cross-bar or otherwise, with the corresponding lever onbrake-ring E entirely and positively out of contact with the vwheel :the brake ring vmay be .simply screwed up tight against this collar A1; This will prevent any accidental application of the brake. As preferably adjusted, a half turn or about that motion of the brake-ring serves to carry the brake back or inward from the wheel and to bring it over hard against the collar A1. Such adjustment can lbe easily obtained by a little care in fitting all the parts, and it allows the lever G to he of any length desired. It is important ,to so apply the parts that the in ertia of the lever G shall tighten rather than slacken the screw by the recoil of .the gun.

The invention may be used with advantage not only on guns which recoil at each discharge, but also on machine-guns of the character known as Gatling and others, Where the discharges are rapid and are individually of too little force to cause a recoil. In the latter, the machine .being placed in position and carefully laid, the tightening of my brakes performs an important function in bracing and stit'fening the support, so that there is no 'looseness or shackl'ing due to the play of the axle Within the wheels.

I claim as my invention- 1. The brake -ring E and screw-thread A2, in combination with a carriage axle and wheel, as herein specified.

2. The conical boss D on the wheel,.in combination with the brake-ring E, having an interior corresponding surface, E', and with the screw-thread Azon the axle, as herein specified.

3. The brake-lever G, in combination with the threaded brakering E, and with the threaded axle, and with a wheel mounted as herein specified.

4. The collar A1, in combination with the screw-thread A2 on the axle, and with a brakering mounted thereon, so as to limit the motion of the brake-ring and to hold it firmly in the 0E condition when required, as herein specified. v

In testimony whereof I 'have hereunto set my hand this 26th day of September, 1876, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

B. B. HOTGHKISS. Witnesses:

THOMAS D. STETsoN, A. HENRY GENTNER. 

